A comparative study between dogs and cats in the impossible task paradigm

This study aims to compare human-directed communication and behavior between domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) using a modified version of the Impossible Task paradigm, conducted exclusively in the presence of the caregiver. By eliminating unfamiliar individuals, the study aimed to isolate the role of the primary caregiver during a challenge involving an expectancy violation. A sample of 68 dogs and 65 cats was tested in their home environments. Following a successfully solvable phase, the duration, frequency, and onset latency of behaviors related to the apparatus, the caregiver, and stress-related behaviors were recorded during a 60-second unsolvable trial. The results showed that both species exhibited a primary independent problem-solving strategy, persisting strongly in physical interactions with the apparatus. However, a significant interspecific divergence emerged in visual monitoring. Dogs directed their gaze toward both the apparatus and the caregiver significantly earlier and for longer durations than cats. Chronological analyses revealed that, after the initial interaction with the apparatus, in dogs, systematically and reliably visual approach to the caregiver preceded the onset of stress-related behaviors, suggesting a proactive social strategy to seek cooperative human support. In contrast, this temporal sequence was not synchronized in cats, indicating more autonomous processing. In both species, seeking tactile approach with the caregiver occurred only after the emergence of stress, functioning as a subsequent comfort-seeking strategy. In conclusion, these findings highlight that, although dogs and cats displayed similar behavioral manifestations of stress and persistence when faced with an unsolvable problem, they process social cues differently. This study demonstrates, in the context of breach of expectation, dogs, unlike cats, rely on a highly structured and gaze-mediated temporal sequence of communication with their primary caregiver, reflecting their distinct cooperative evolutionary and domestication trajectories.